IU forward Christian Watford and Patrick Hopkins of Indiana Wesleyan battle for rebounding position under the basket in an exhibition basketball game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington Thursday.

Written by

Terry Hutchens
terry.hutchens@indystar.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Tom Crean was asked recently about the added pressure that comes with being the preseason No.1-ranked team in the nation.

Indiana University's basketball coach just smiled. He said that's not pressure. Pressure, Crean said, is going into a Big Ten road game with six walk-ons on your roster, many of whom are playing significant minutes. That was Hoosiers basketball in 2009.

The fifth-year IU coach said the current situation isn't a big deal because it's familiar territory for the Hoosiers. ...